Now let’s talk about the International language of architecture. Enjoy our talk with Moshe Shemesh, exclusively for AECO Space.
Born in Israel, working across the state borders, Moshe Shemesh recently published a crucial book about SketchUp and V-Ray.
Official Moshe Shemesh textbook for learning V-Ray inside SketchUp
Hello, Moshe. Tell me about your first ‘contact’ with architecture. Do you remember what impressed you the most?
When I was young, I would go with my father and grandfather and was helping them with the construction work. That is where the love for design and planning began. The connection to the building, to the design and construction process, the stages that fascinated me then, continue to fascinate me today.
How would you describe your work to a 5-years old child?
I design buildings, plan spaces, aisles, rooms, and doors, and determine what everything will look like in the end. During the process, I create a computerized image that shows what everything will look like after it is built. Cool huh?
What is your latest project you are working on?
Architects’ competition for planning the entrance to the city of Ramla, a large city in central Israel. As part of the architect competition, the project went up to TOP 3 and now being competed for first place.
Official Moshe Shemesh textbook for learning V-Ray inside SketchUp
Tell me more about your most compelling project or the one that you are most proud of?
I think the apartment project I am now planning for myself is the project I am most proud of because it is the project I used to use all my professional capabilities to plan the reality just as it would look after the project will be built. I mean, I took real-world elements and modeled them with great precision to show them in the render and better design and understand the space.
What are the software products that you use in your work?
My holy trinity is SketchUp for 3D modeling, V-Ray for realistic visualization, almost always Photoshop, and sometimes some other Adobe software.
Tell me the TOP 5 advantages of SketchUp that affect your daily workflow?
Being able to express me in 3D is something unique. Not everyone can present a good 3D product, resemble reality. This ability leads us to be superhuman in this area. We have the power to create something from nowhere, where there was nothing before a second, we can create something new. So, I guess there are not five big benefits like the tremendous benefit of doing what we have in 3D.
Official Moshe Shemesh textbook for learning V-Ray inside SketchUp
Do you have a favorite SketchUp tool or extension?
Yes, my best extension of course is V-Ray. But I guess there are a few more that I use regularly: SubD, Transmutr, and the tools of Eneroth, Thomthom, Fredo, and the popular SketchUcation tools.
What SketchUp and V-Ray feature would you define as a game-changer for your work?
Much but more than anything, it was the Denoiser that led to the profound change between good rendering and an excellent one. This huge time savior has created us an environment with faster feedback and therefore we can now make faster changes and with the huge change and technological advancement of the hardware, the feedback is even more immediate that allows us to work faster.
The future is real-time, that is for sure, and we’re a few steps away.
Official Moshe Shemesh textbook for learning V-Ray inside SketchUp
Are there any peculiarities about the architectural work for different markets – you are situated in Israel but maybe you work on many international projects?
If I were offered to take part in some international project, I would not hesitate to approach it. I already had some projects I did across the sea and state borders, but they were part of the architecture offices I was working on.
Do you have a dream project? Or what do you want to achieve in the next 5 years?
Yes, I would like to design a significant public building while doing the best possible visualization of that urban area. This process really fascinates me, and I really like that it also works. The feeling that you have designed something that others can enjoy is tremendous.
I guess that means leaving some significant environments and buildings that will contribute to others even when I am not here.
What motivated you to create your book – about V-Ray for SketchUp?
Disseminate my knowledge to the world. I think there are very few people who can take a project like this to such a state. That is why it was important for me to invest in the process of converting knowledge into an international language to allow young and advanced 3D artists the ability to be better at it. Being better means creating deeper cultural wealth, inspiring others, and more. This is a chain of actions that has an impact.
